Galahad's true freedom
by amazrie
Summary: Everything is ready to go home. However, alcohol affects Galahad more than the others. A mysterious girl appears but does she bring good or evil?
1. Chapter 1

Warnings: I do not own the characters of King Arthur!

Chapter 1: Too much booze

Gawain aims at the leg of a chair with a knife from far away and he laughs. Tristan from the same distance aims at the very same knife Gawain had left, above a third one on the leg of the chair.

Gawain wondering what had just happened, half amused, half irritated said "How d'you do that?"

Tristan giving a bite to the apple he was holding pointed through his eyes narrowing them and responded "I aim to the middle".

Arthur was laughing that his great knights were so famously known around that island, had actually "aiming problems", which in the end helped them and made them the best archers in Britain.

Galahad had not paid much attention to the recent episode, for the girl sitting on his lap kept him entertained. Lancelot was gambling with dices, his temper rising for his loss. Dagonet and Bors were convincing Vanora to sing in the tavern. Some instruments started to play and all the knights raised from their seats and started dancing wildly. The scottish dancing was most appealing and everyone shared a smile on their face.

Everything was ready to go home. Although only Bors had a family to long to, Tristan would start the search for his son, whom he knew would be far away. The idea of being a father and only having seen his child once, filled him with desire to become a better man.

The rest of the knights had each other and did not conceive a life too far from one another, they were all brothers. Gawain, unstable in love as Galahad were as united as Lancelot and Arthur or Dag and Bors. Gawain and Galahad were the youngest and wereoftenly more protected by Tristan which was usually lost in his thoughts and in the care of his hawk.

Galahad at this time was too drunk to ccordinate his movements and clumpsily fell to the floor, resulting in his "companion" leaving with another man unknown to the close group, after taking some coins of his pockets.

Gawain, holding a large vase in his hand approached his best friend to see if he was still concious. He was clearly sleeping so he carried him away from the party and let him be, returning to where his other friends were.

From the dangerous woods surrounding Galahad, footsteps emerged. Strange footsteps they were, bare against the soil. The wholw body of the woman was pale and she gazed at the knight, who had opened his eyes, trying to figure out where he had ended.

Galahad got up and saw her standing in the night next to a big tree. "Hello" he said dumbly, and immediately fell to the floor over a stone, scratching his face, making tips of blood pour out. The woad girl, supposed to make an alliance between Arthur and her leader, Merlin, who had sent her, felt pitty for this beautiful man and carried him again towards thew tavern.

People at this image people stopped dancing, Vanora stopped singing and all the knights ceased their activities, drawing out their swords. Galahad, drunk as he was, fell to the floor, leaving her shoulders, dropping as good as dead. Missinterpreting the whole situation, Gawain ran to his friend, grabbing the woman and threatening her to death. Tristan, rational as always impeded him to act on impulse and anger but ordered some men to lock her away.

A frightened Vanora hugged Bors and the latter together with Dagonet carried Galahad to his room, above the tavern.

"He just seems drunk though" Dagonet broke the silence. "She could have made him no harm."

"And what were the bruises and blood on his face?" Responded an angry Bors, unknown that Galahad, after falling several times, was injured and was rescued by the enemy´, a woad.


	2. Chapter 2

The following morning, Galahad woke up with a terrible head ache. He had been drunk before of course but yet he hated how he felt the next day. He could not recall events after he had passed out. He had eventually failed to seduce the wench who had accompanied him, and yet he dreamt of a pale, brave woman. Was he more crazy than he thought? That was not even a choice, he said to himself. As soon as he left the bed, he grabbed his boot knife and some of his other assets and headed outside of the room, into the tavern. Apparently Vanora had not yet come down to the bar, which made Galahad wonder where she was. Dagonet was looking into the goat house, probable catching the eye of a tender little goat to take on the journey home. Tristan was sharpening his blade while Gawain spotted his best friend and headed toward him.

"Just like the old times was last night! Damn it that woad, what was she thinking by attacking you that way?"He said clapping him in the back as making sure he was ok by not falling.

"Wha?" A confused Galahad asked.

"Don't worry, we locked her up. Whomever wants to claim her, will have to face us first." He replied.

Not understanding single word of what his friend was saying he asked him to explain. After Gawain did so, Galahad responded in anger:

"But she saved me, or at least someone saved me, and by my excellent perception towards female gender, I can assure you she was a woman!"

Gawain raised an eyebrow, in lack of credibility and reminded him, "you were drunk, you can't even piss straight just like Bors when you're like that and you want **me** to believe that what you saw was the opposite from what I saw?"

"come on, let's go eat that I'm starving. The bloody booze makes me very hungry the following morning." Gawain said, heading inside.

"I'm starving!" A hungry Galahad replied.

Vanora was getting into the bar, finishing to put on her dress, while Bors was still kissing her on the back of her neck.

"I'm trying to work!" she said as she saw Galahad and Gawain standing with a smile on their face. "Hello men"

"Heading for bastard numer 12 we are!" Bors said grining at his lover and leaving to play swords with the boys, specially Gilly.

Once they had finished eating, Galahad said he was going to rest again. Gawain joined the other knights in their duties of polishing their weaponds and preparing their horses for the departure.

But Galahd did not return to his bedroom. Instead, he headed to the town brig and told the guards that he wold take care of the prisoner. As a respectable and noble knight, the guards left the brig and he headed tp the third cell which was occupied by a beautiful woman. He refused to believe that she could harm anybody and still there was a sense of danger in her deep blue eyes.

He approached the cell carefully and as they eyes met, he felt a strange sensation in his stomach as if she would be her saviour and her murderer. The gaze was clearly that of recognition from her behalf. Yet, she said nothiing and darted her eyes opposite the man.

"What's you name woad?" Galahad asked, trying to be firm but yet his voice broke in despair to know the answer.

She did not reply, so he grabbed the bars of the cell and approached her as best as he could. "I'm not gonna hurt you, I just want to know why you did what you did".

"Call knight Arthur and you will know my purspose." She replied. Her voice was indeed firm as his but sweet, without fear. He felt drawn closer to her, but immediately stepped back.

"Whatever you reasons are, I just wanted to thank you. But your purpose must be quite important as to end up in a cell for attemping to achieve it." He responded. He had spoken with such tender in his eyes that she looked back at him. Their eyes feasted with each other and it was suddenly cut by a thunder that broke the sky.

"Our people are suffering from the invasion from the North of the Saxons. Each inncent village is being burnt, and everyone killed. Alone, we stand no chance agains them but uniting your forces with ours can defeat the evil ones!" she said, talking very fast as if the world were coming to an end.

"But Arthur would never want it! Merlin is a murderer, he killed his mother and yet he intends to unite forces based on traison?" Galahad answered, as a challenge.

She was surprised by his sudden lack of tenderness. She not expected for him to stand by his master so eagerly, but yet she now knew that all rumors of the knight's friendships, loyalty and unity were true.

"Do as you will but inform Arthur of my purpose and tell him if he refuses the offer, he has already started to dig his own grave." This was her final speech.

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He went out of the brig, and headed to Arthur's dormitory where he lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. Galahad wondered wht he was thinking but interrupted his thoughts by saying his name. Arthur sit on his bed, facing his companion and asked quickly "How are you? Bors and Dag told me of what had happened. Jesus, the woads are not to be trusted.

"There has been a misunderstanding. The girl who is emprisoned did not harm me. I have just seen her and she says that Merlin seeks our aid in order to save the woads and us from the saxon invasion." Galahad said in a comprehensive tone.

"What?! Make and aliance with the man who killed my family?" Arthur said in fury.

"And now kill all of your people for lack of protection? We are skilled knights but we can't beat the devil. The saxons outnumber us, but with the power of Merlin adn the woads, we can beat them and taste our longed freedom without worries." With tham Galahad left, leaving Arthur, frustrated as he knew that Galahad had spoken the truth. All that was left to decide was swallowing Arthur's pride and joining Merlin of leading their people to a certain death.


End file.
